The 28th NJPW Best of the Super Juniors tournament began today in Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado took on SHO in the main event, while Hiromu Takahashi faced YOH in the semi-main.
The other tournament action was comprised of El Phantasmo vs. Master Wato, Robbie Eagles vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, DOUKI vs. BUSHI, plus Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Taiji Ishimori.
Ryohei Oiwa and Yuto Nakashima faced off in the non-tournament opener.
Here are today’s results:
Ryohei Oiwa & Yuto Nakashima went to a time limit draw
Best of the Super Juniors: DOUKI defeated BUSHI
DOUKI got the upset win by pinfall with Suplex De La Luna.
Best of the Super Juniors: Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Taiji Ishimori
Kanemaru stole a countout win using underhanded tactics.
Best of the Super Juniors: Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Robbie Eagles
Taguchi pinned Eagles with Dodon.
Best of the Super Juniors: Master Wato defeated El Phantasmo
Wato got the upset win with a jackknife cradle.
Best of the Super Juniors: Hiromu Takahashi defeated YOH
Hiromu got a flash cradle for the pin.
Best of the Super Juniors: SHO defeated El Desperado
SHO won with a Shock Arrow after interference from Yujiro Takahashi and Dick Togo.
NJPW has revealed the full list of entrants for this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament.
The tournament will kick off at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo this Saturday and end with the finals being held at Tokyo’s Sumo Hall on Wednesday, December 15. It’s a single-block tournament featuring 12 participants, with the two wrestlers who have gained the most points then facing off in the finals.
Desperado is the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. He won the title from Eagles at Power Struggle this past Saturday.
If Desperado doesn’t win Best of the Super Juniors, the tournament will likely set up a challenger for him as we enter Wrestle Kingdom season.
Desperado vs. SHO will be the main event as Best of the Super Juniors begins this Saturday. Takahashi vs. YOH, Phantasmo vs. Wato, Eagles vs. Taguchi, Ishimori vs. Kanemaru, and BUSHI vs. DOUKI are the other tournament matches.
The Best of the Super Juniors is taking place alongside this year’s World Tag League tournament. The participants for Tag League have yet to be revealed.
Korakuen Hall will host the opening night of Tag League action this Sunday, and the shows will alternate between Best of the Super Juniors and Tag League events throughout the tour. That will lead to the finals of both tournaments taking place at Sumo Hall on December 15.
The Bullet Club trio attacked before the opening bell. Fale and Yano started off as the legal men. Yano untied a corner pad and used it as a weapon on Fale, but Fale no-sold it. Yano went for a slam on Fale, but failed.
Ishimori tagged in and got sent into the buckle. SHO tagged in for an extended sequence with Ishimori. They had a nice back and forth. SHO hit a spear, Ishimori hit a handspring kick, then both tagged out.
Eagles peppered Owens with kicks. Eagles hit a pair of meteoras in the corner. He missed a follow-up 450 splash. Owens missed a pump knee strike, but blocked Turbo Backpack.
Owens hit a Jewel Heist for a near fall. Fale tagged in for the tandem Grenade Launcher and Owens pinned Eagles.
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After the match, Yano tried to slam Fale again and failed again. Fale then destroyed Yano’s KOPW trophy with a stomp.
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Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb (w/Bea Priestley) defeated Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare (10:45)
This was good when Okada and Ospreay were in together.
Okada and Ospreay began with an intense striking battle. O-Khan and Tanahashi got tags. Henare jumped in for some tandem spots with Tana, including a double crab on O-Khan.
O-Khan cut Tanahashi off with a kneebar. Cobb tagged in and hit a backbreaker. O-Khan and Cobb each hit Tana with gutwrench suplexes. Ospreay tagged in for a 3-on-1 on Tana, hitting a missile dropkick.
Tanahashi came back with a dragon screw on Ospreay and tagged Okada. Okada hit a running back elbow, cleared the apron, hit another back elbow in the corner, then hit a DDT on Ospreay for a near fall.
Ospreay fought out of an air raid crash neckbreaker attempt. Cobb and Henare got tags and did some impressive power spots. Henare really needs to go somewhere else, he would be much higher on the card in any other promotion.
Tana jumped in for a slingblade on Cobb. Henare covered, but Ospreay broke up the pin. Henare ran into a pump kick from an interfering O-Khan. O-Khan used a kneebar on Tanahashi to neutralize the interference threat.
Cobb then hit a Tour of the Islands on Henare for the pin.
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O-Khan continued to use the kneebar after the bell. Okada jumped in to make the save.
Cobb attacked Okada. Ospreay then hit an Oscutter on Okada. Priestley tossed O-Khan a chair. O-Khan hammered away at Tanahashi’s left leg with the chair.
SANADA showed great intensity in what was more of an angle than a match.
The Bullet Club squad attacked before the opening bell. Togo dragged SANADA to the ramp and choked him out with a ligature. Young Lions and staff tended to SANADA as the match began.
Togo removed a corner pad and Shingo was whipped into the exposed buckle. Yujiro took the ref while EVIL threatened to use Yujiro’s cane on Shingo.
An enraged SANADA jumped in and went after EVIL. He took him down and hammered him with right hands. SANADA shoved the referee down and continued beating EVIL around ringside. This was the most emotion SANADA has ever shown.
Shingo hit a sliding lariat and a Last of the Dragon on Yujiro for the pin.
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SANADA continued attacking EVIL after the bell. Young Lions tried to pull SANADA off, but he tossed them aside. SANADA hammered EVIL with right hands and they brawled to the back.
In the ring, Jeff Cobb appeared. Cobb picked up Shingo’s NEVER Openweight title belt. Shingo tried to grab the belt back. Cobb hit Shingo with Tour of the Islands and stomped to the back.
So both EVIL vs. SANADA and Shingo vs. Cobb for the NEVER title look to be Wrestle Kingdom matches.
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A promo video aired for the 49th anniversary show on March 4th at Budokan.
A promo video for an appearance at Wrestle Kingdom by a Japanese comedian dressed like Don King. Apparently he is Noritake Kinashi, also known as Don Kinashi.
Ibushi and Naito began with a series of counters and teases, previewing their Wrestle Kingdom match. Ibushi hit a dropkick to establish the early advantage. Wato got a tag and BUSHI and Naito doubled up on him. Naito and BUSHI mocked Tenzan by hitting Mongolian chops.
Wato came back with a series of kicks on BUSHI, then we were back to Naito and Ibushi. Naito got the upper hand in this exchange, hitting combinacion cabron in the corner, then an enzuigiri and a DDT.
BUSHI tagged in and hit a missile dropkick and DDT on Ibushi for a two count. BUSHI hit a swinging neckbreaker for another two as Wato broke up the pin.
BUSHI hit Ibushi with a backstabber. Ibushi came back with a high kick. Naito jumped in. Ibushi held Naito up. Wato hit a springboard forearm and a tornillo to take out Naito.
Ibushi hit a jumping knee strike to the head and a Kamigoye on BUSHI for the victory.
World Tag League final: Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (w/Jado) defeated Juice Robinson & David Finlay to win World Tag League 2020 (22:15)
This was an excellent match.
Finlay and Loa began with some simple spots — tackles, drop downs and headlocks. Juice and Tama tagged in. Jado tried to trip Juice from the floor and got ejected by ref Marty Asami.
Finlay and Juice went to work on Tama’s left arm. After a miscommunication spot by FinJuice, Loa tagged in and cut off Finlay. Loa hit a blue thunder bomb for a near fall.
Finlay went for a tag but Tama pulled him off the apron. Juice finally got a tag at the ten minute mark. He hit a plancha to Loa, then went after Tama with a clothesline and a high cross off the top.
FinJuice went for a Hart Attack. Instead, Loa speared Juice. Finlay got hit with a Tongan Twist. Loa hit a diving headbutt off the top to Juice. Tama followed with a top rope splash for a near fall.
G.O.D. called for a super powerbomb. Tama missed the setup splash in the corner. All four guys hit big moves and all four went down. Juice hit Loa with a Left Hand of God, then collapsed again.
Juice hit Tama with a cannonball and a series of jabs. Juice called for Pulp Friction but got distracted by Jado walking down the ramp. Tama used a kendo stick on Juice and made a cover. Finlay broke up the pin.
Loa used the OJK on Finlay. Tama used a sharpshooter on Juice at the same time. Juice fought to the ropes to force a break.
Jado called for a Magic Killer. G.O.D. hit the Magic Killer. Tama covered — but Juice kicked out at two.
Jado called for a super powerbomb. Tama hit a running splash in the corner. Loa tried to execute the powerbomb, but Juice hit a super hurricanrana instead.
Finlay jumped in and hit an ushigoroshi on Loa at the 20 minute call. FinJuice hit a Hart Attack. Juice covered — but Tama kicked out at two. Finlay hit a superplex. Juice hit a top rope splash. Tama kicked out again.
FinJuice teased a Doomsday Device. Loa shoved Finlay off the post. Jado jumped in with a kendo stick. Juice cut him off and broke the stick.
KENTA ran in with the U.S. title briefcase and clocked Juice with it.
G.O.D. hit the super powerbomb and Tama covered Juice for the pin.
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After the match, KENTA took photos with his phone as G.O.D. and Jado posed with the World Tag League trophies.
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Best of the Super Jrs. final: Hiromu Takahashi defeated El Desperado to win Best of the Super Jrs. 27 (30:14)
This was not your typical high-flying Hiromu match filled with a bunch of high risk moves. Instead, they told a great story and worked a NJPW strong style main event match. This was superb.
They started slowly by Hiromu standards. They traded tackles and side headlocks. Hiromu then went to intiate one of his trademark palm strike to the chest sequences. Desperado was having none of it and immediately went for Numero Dos. Hiromu forced a break.
The pace picked up from there. Desperado used an assist from an unwitting referee to hit a basement dropkick to the knee. Desperado sent Hiromu outside and sent Hiromu into the barricade.
Back in, Hiromu sold his back from being sent into the fence. Desperado hit a snap suplex for two. Desperado went after Hiromu’s legs, looking to set up Numero Dos, the same strategy he used to beat Hiromu earlier in the tournament. Desperado expossed a buckle.
Desperado forced Hiromu outside and slammed him on the floor. Desperado followed up by driving the left leg into the floor. Desperado continued working over the leg.
Hiromu used a misdirection spot to set up a hurricanrana. He landed a low dropkick, but after two spots involving running, Hiromu stopped to sell his leg at the ten minute call.
Hiromu stretched Desperado over the top rope, choking him with his legs. Hiromu hit a wheelbarrow slam on the floor, then a shotgun dropkick off the apron to the floor.
Back inside, Hiromu hit a falcon arrow for a near fall. He teased a DVD into the buckle but Desperado blocked. Hiromu blocked a spinebuster attempt and a back suplex attempt.
Desperado hit a kneebreaker. He went for Numero Dos, but Hiromu forced an immediate break by rolling to the ropes. Desperado got launched into the buckle with a release German suplex.
Hiromu went for a Dynamite Plunger. His knee gave out instead. Desperado blocked a thrust kick. Hiromu then connected with two superkicks at the fifteen minute call. Hiromu hit a DVD into the turnbuckle pad, then another in the center of the ring.
Hiromu went for Time Bomb. Desperado slid out and locked in Numero Dos. Hiromu reached the ropes, but Desperado used the full four count before breaking the hold.
Hiromu escaped Guitarra de Angel and rolled outside. Desperado teased a suicide dive. Hiromu cut him off in the ropes. Hiromu went for a sunset bomb but overshot his mark. Desperado threatened to use his Jr. Heavyweight Tag belt, but ultimately attacked Hiromu’s leg with a chair.
Back in, Desperado hit Guitarra de Angel for a two count, then immediately transitioned to Numero Dos at the 20 minute call. Somehow, Hiromu reversed Numero Dos into a destroyer. Both men were down in the center of the ring.
Desperado shoved Hiromu into the Red Shoes the ref, who took a bump. Desperado hit a low blow. Hiromu blocked a straight right by hitting a big right hand of his own.
Hiromu tore off the top half of Desperado’s mask. In a dramatic moment, Desperado tore the rest of his own mask off himself.
The two then engaged in a furious sequence of strikes. After trading, Hiromu dropped Desperado with a palm strike. Desperado answered, dropping Hiromu with a right hand. Hiromu blocked Pinche Loco and hit a headbutt.
Hiromu hit victory royal. He went for Time Bomb. Desperado blocked and used El es Culero for a great near fall.
They charged each other and hit simultaneous lariats. Desperado kicked out the left leg. Hiromu popped back up and hit a superkick.
Desperado ducked a lariat and went for Pinche Loco. Hiromu reversed into a DVD into the exposed buckle. Hiromu hit Time Bomb — but Desperado kicked out.
Hiromu hit a second victory royal. He hoisted Desperado up at the 30 minute call. Hiromu hit Time Bomb II, then covered for the pin.
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Hiromu cut a promo after the match. He called out to Desperado as he was being helped to the back. Hiromu said he won this one, but they will be facing each other until they retire.
Hiromu fought back tears as he was handed the BOSJ trophy.
Hiromu challenged the winner of the Super-J Cup. He said he wants that match before he faces Taiji Ishimori for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title.
Hiromu then closed the show with a babyface promo, putting over the crowd.
NJPW’s final World Tag League 2020 and Best of the Super Jrs. 27 block matches took place today in Fukuoka.
Recommended matches —
Robbie Eagles vs. Yuya Uemura
Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb vs. Shingo Takagi & SANADA
SHO vs. Taiji Ishimori
Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI
Report —
BOSJ: Robbie Eagles defeated Yuya Uemura (7:30)
These guys were determined to make the most of their limited time. They started fast and maintained that pace.
They traded tackles. Uemura blocked a Turbo Backpack and a flying headscissors. Uemura used an armbar but Eagles reached the ropes. Eagles escaped a crab and hit a series of kicks to the chest.
Eagles used a scoop slam and knee drop. He teased a 450, the setup for the Ron Miller Special, but rolled through after Uemura popped up. Uemura blocked a springboard attack with a dropkick and hit a series of corner strikes.
Uemura used a shotgun dropkick for a near fall, then locked in a Boston crab. Eagles powered out of the hold with kicks. Uemura teased his double overhook suplex but Eagles hooked a leg in the ropes to force a break.
Eagles hit a springboard dropkick to the left leg. He twice tried to lock on the Ron Miller Special, but Uemura cradled him twice for near falls. Eagles again blocked the suplex, but Uemura floated over into a bridge for a near fall.
Eagles hit Turbo Backpack, then used the Ron Miller Special for the submission.
This was all comedy. Both teams are Bullet Club, so you had the heels trying to out-heel each other dynamic that makes these infrequent meetings fun.
Yujiro grabbed a mic and told Owens that Pieter was coming out. Owens turned his back and Yujiro used a schoolboy for a two count.
Yujiro tried to trick Owens a few more times. Togo got involved, exposing a buckle. Yujiro grabbed his pimp cane and tried the Eddie Guerrero spot, tossing the cane to Owens.
Owens used a schoolboy with his feet on the ropes for the flash pin.
BOSJ: Ryusuke Taguchi defeated DOUKI (8:50)
DOUKI hit Taguchi’s funky weapon with his steel pipe before the opening bell. They brawled outside and DOUKI posted Taguchi’s groin. They did some more comedy as they got back in the ring. Taguchi missed some hip attacks before finally connecting.
Taguchi hit a tope con giro. DOUKI blocked a hip attack, then blocked three amigos and tried a sunset flip. Taguchi let DOUKI pull his tights down. Taguchi then sat down on the sunset flip for two.
Taguchi missed a Bomaye and DOUKI locked on the DOUKI chokey. Taguchi reached the ropes to force a break. DOUKI hit Daybreak for a near fall.
Taguchi rolled through on a Suplex de la Luna attempt and used an ankle lock. Taguchi tried to use the hold to set up Dodon. DOUKI went back to the choke. Taguchi rolled back into the ankle lock.
Taguchi used the ankle lock to pull DOUKI up into a Dodon. Taguchi then covered for the pin.
WTL: Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (w/Jado) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare (3:55)
This was more of an angle than a match.
G.O.D. attacked as Tanahashi and Henare made their entrance. The ref called for the opening bell as all four were still fighting on the outside.
As they got in, Tama Tonga applied a sharpshooter on Tanahashi. Henare broke up the hold. Henare and Loa traded strikes. They hit simultaneous headbutts. Loa hit an enzuigiri. Henare hit a Samoan drop.
Tanahashi and Henare doubled up on Tonga. Tanahashi hit a dragon screw. Henare and Loa fought on the floor.
Tanahashi tried a cloverleaf on Tonga. Loa jumped in with Jado’s kendo stick and attacked Tanahashi’s left leg. Tonga then used a sharpshooter and Tanahashi tapped out.
They appeared to have some miscommunication on a couple of spots and there was a scary spot early on, but the pace these guys worked for ten minutes was insane. A good match, but they didn’t have time to have a great one.
Wato hit a one-legged dropkick and a series of kicks at the opening bell. He sent Hiromu outside with a dropkick. He teased a tornillo, but Hiromu jumped back in, then slid outside and hit a sunset bomb. Hiromu lost his footing on the sunset bomb and that really could have ended badly.
Hiromu drove Wato into the barricade and hit a dropkick. Back inside, Hiromu made a cocky cover for a two count. Hiromu hit a shotgun dropkick for another near fall.
Wato fired back with strikes and sent Hiromu outside for a tornillo, this time connecting with the move. Wato hit a springboard uppercut forearm for two. Wato hit a recientemente for another near fall.
Wato missed an RPP off the top. After a series of counters, Hiromu hit a superkick. Hiromu hit a lariat but Wato didn’t go down. Hiromu hit a second lariat and Wato popped right up. Hiromu hit a third lariat for a two count. Hiromu hit a victory royale for a super close near fall.
Hiromu hit his DVD into the buckle. He tried Time Bomb, but Wato cradled him for two.
Hiromu then used Time Bomb II for the pin to secure his place in the finals.
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Wrestling Dontaku was announced for May 3 and 4 in Fukuoka before intermission.
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WTL: Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb defeated Shingo Takagi & SANADA (11:46)
This dragged when O-Khan was working Shingo over, but the last five minutes or so were very good.
Shingo and SANADA overcame an attack before the bell and dispatched O-Khan to the outside. Cobb and Shingo traded some powerful strikes. Cobb tossed Shingo with an overhead belly-to-belly and cut him off. O-Khan went to work on Shingo from there.
O-Khan used a head-and-arm choke on the mat. They traded Mongolian chops. Shingo tagged SANADA. SANADA used the paradise lock on O-Khan and hit a plancha on Cobb.
SANADA used Skull End on O-Khan while Shingo trapped Cobb in a dragon sleeper. Cobb rolled to the floor and O-Khan fell victim to a double team. SANADA hit a dropkick for a two count.
O-Khan escaped a TKO attempt. O-Khan hit a hip toss after dodging a springboard attack. Cobb tagged in. SANADA hit him with a flying headscissors takeover and tagged out.
Shingo teased an exploder on Cobb. Cobb blocked. Shingo hit a lariat. Cobb blocked a sliding lariat and hit a gutwrench throw. O-Khan jumped in for the illegal double team. Cobb and O-Khan hit a series of gutwrench throws on Shingo.
Cobb hit a powerbomb for a two count as SANADA saved. All four were in as the match broke towards the finish. O-Khan hit a Dominator on SANADA. Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber on O-Khan.
Shingo and Cobb traded power shots. Cobb hit a release German. O-Khan jumped in and hit a running kick. Cobb followed with Tour of the Islands for the pin.
Cobb posed over Shingo with Shingo’s NEVER Openweight title belt after the match, so that looks to be a match soon.
BOSJ: Taiji Ishimori defeated SHO (12:10)
This match was the story of the show in a nutshell — good match, not enough time to be great, but the guys tried to condense a 20 minute match into their allotted time.
SHO hit a shoulder tackle, avoided a springboard attack, then hit a dropkick, knocking Ishimori off the apron. Ishimori caught a kick and pulled SHO face-first into the apron.
Ishimori landed on his knees off a German on the apron. He countered with a piledriver on the apron. I hate that spot. There’s just no room for error on an apron piledriver.
Ishimori used a Yes Lock, but SHO reached the ropes to force a break. SHO was back on offense quickly, using a mid kick for a near fall. SHO went to work on Ishimori’s taped-up left arm. SHO blocked Ishimori as he went for his handspring Pele kick.
Ishimori blocked a power breaker and hit a jumping knee strike. Ishimori hit a meteora in the corner. SHO blocked La Mistica and locked on a kimura. Ishimori powered out of a Shock Arrow attempt.
They traded strikes and lariats. Ishimori ended the sequence with a destroyer. SHO no-sold and hit a German. Ishimori took a flip bump off a lariat. SHO connected with a power breaker. Ishimori kicked out at two.
They teased their finishers. SHO fought off a Bloody Cross and used a cross armbreaker. Ishimori slid out and switched to the Bone Lock. SHO rolled through and hit Shock Arrow. Ishimori kicked out.
SHO Went for another Shock Arrow. Ishimori grabbed a guillotine, then hit an inverted Bloody Cross. SHO kicked out at two.
Ishimori hit another Bloody Cross and this time it was enough to knock SHO out of contention.
Yano went for a corner pad right away. He hit Taichi with the pad but also took out Ishii with friendly fire. Sabre used a sunset flip on Yano for two. Sabre used a cradle for two. Yano hit a drop toe hold on Sabre into a forearm from Ishii. Yano rolled Sabre up for two.
Sabre used a cradle and a backslide for another pair of near falls on Yano. Sabre wrapped Yano up in the ring skirt. They teased a countout but Ishii threw Yano back in to break the count. Ishii and Taichi finally got tags after Sabre and Yano dominated the first five minutes with comedy.
Taichi and Ishii traded strikes. Taichi hit a jumping high kick and removed his pants. Yano broke up a Zack Driver attempt. Ishii and Yano doubled up on Taichi. Yano hit a throw into a sliding lariat from Ishii for a near fall as Sabre saved.
Ishii hit a headbutt and a lariat for a two count. All four jumped in. Sabre blocked a Yano low blow and sent him outside. Sabre hit Ishii with a Zack Driver. Yano got sent outside.
Sabre and Taichi hit Zack Mephisto and Taichi covered Ishii for the pin.
BOSJ: El Desperado defeated BUSHI (12:53)
BUSHI teased a tope suicida right away. Desperado ducked out of the way, so BUSHI hit a flying headscissors from the ring to the floor instead. Back inside, BUSHI choked Desperado with his shirt.
Desperado pulled BUSHI back to the floor and sent him into the barricade. Desperado grabbed a pen and stabbed BUSHI in the eye with it. Desperado worked over BUSHI’s left leg as they got back into the ring.
Desperado continued working on the leg. They exchanged strikes. BUSHI hit a DDT, his first significant offense since the opening volley. BUSHI hit a missile dropkick. BUSHI draped Desperado over the top rope and hit another missile dropkick. BUSHI hit a draping DDT on the apron, then followed with two suicide dives. Desperado beat the count back in at 19.
Desperado tried a stretch muffler. BUSHI escaped and hit a dropkick. Desperado blocked a codebreaker and used el es culero for a near fall. They teased a ref bump. BUSHI ducked a right hand and hit an enzuigiri.
BUSHI hit a backstabber and a destroyer for a two count. BUSHI called for MX. Desperado caught BUSHI off the second rope and hit a spinebuster, then used Numero Dos. Desperado got both arms hooked and the referee called for the stoppage.
By virtue of their wins over Ishimori, Hiromu and Desperado are in Friday’s finals with 14 points.
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Desperado cut a promo after the match and called out Hiromu. Hiromu came to the ring and cut a promo. He promised to get revenge on Desperado for beating him earlier in the tournament.
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WTL: Juice Robinson & David Finlay defeated Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (15:50)
Goto and Finlay began. They traded a couple of quick holds before YH jumped in. YH and Goto doubled up on both Finlay and Juice. YH and Finlay ended up the legal men and YH worked a side headlock.
Juice blind-tagged in and it was FinJuice’s turn for some tandem offense. Juice hit a senton and a delayed vertical suplex on YH for two. Finlay and Juice used quick tags and worked on YH’s left arm. Juice hit another senton for two.
Juice and Finlay hit a double bulldog on YH and Finlay covered for a near fall. Finlay used a chinlock at the five minute mark. YH powered out with strikes and hit a vertical suplex before tagging out.
Goto and Juice got tags. Goto hit a wheel kick and a bulldog for a two count. Goto and Juice traded strikes, then hit simultaneous clotheslines into a double down. Both tagged out.
Finlay and YH traded strikes in the center of the ring. Finlay hit a diving uppercut forearm. YH hit a running chop. YH hit two more chops, a thrust kick and a neckbreaker for a two count.
Juice tagged in but accidentally took out Finlay with a cannonball. YH hit a headhunter into a leg sweep by Goto on Juice. Finlay broke up the pin.
Goto and YH hit a GYR on Finlay. Juice fought off a GYW attempt. YH hit a thrust kick into an ushigoroshi from Goto. Juice kicked out at two.
Goto and YH hit the GYW on Juice. Goto covered, but Finlay made the save at the last possible second.
Finlay hit a spear on Goto and a uranage backbreaker on YH. Finlay hit an uppercut forearm and a last shot on Goto. Finlay hit a superplex on Goto. Juice hit a follow-up frog splash for a near fall.
FinJuice teased a doomsday device. Goto shoved Finlay off the top into the barricade. YH hit a thrust kick on Juice. Goto cradled Juice for two. Goto hit a headbutt at the fifteen minute call.
Juice blocked Shouten Kai. Finlay jumped in and hit Goto with a stunner. Juice hit a Left Hand of God, then hit Pulp Friction for the pin.
By virtue of their losses to both G.O.D. and FinJuice, Taichi and Sabre are out. The final will be Juice and Finlay vs. G.O.D.
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Juice grabbed the mic to close the show with a promo. G.O.D. ran in and attacked. Tama hit a Gun Stun on Juice. Tama used a sharpshooter on Juice, while Tanga used a OJK on Finlay. Jado cut a quick promo, then the show ended with Jado and G.O.D. posing in the ring.
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Final World Tag League standings —
Juice Robinson & David Finlay 12 points (6-3) *finalist*
Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa 12 points (6-3) *finalist*
Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. 12 points (6-3) *lost to both FinJuice and G.O.D., eliminated on tiebreakers*
Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI 10 points (5-4)
Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano 10 points (5-4)
Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb 10 points (5-4)
Shingo Takagi & SANADA 10 points (5-4)
Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens 6 points (3-6)
EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi 6 points (3-6)
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare 2 points (1-8)
Final BOSJ 27 standings —
El Desperado 14 points (7-2) *Finalist*
Hiromu Takahashi 14 points (7-2) *Finalist*
Taiji Ishimori 14 points (7-2) *lost to both Hiromu & Desperado, eliminated on tiebreakers*
The death of Pat Patterson, two huge AEW angles, more.
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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
The new issue of the Observer has two major history pieces, one on Pat Patterson and the other on Bobby Lee, the latter of which brings you to a period that even most who know wrestling history really aren’t familiar with. Due to the deaths of Patterson and Lee, our Hall of Fame story on Dan Koloff (Kolov) will be moved to the next double issue.
AEW finished second for Wednesday night in 18-49, basically a tie with the West Virginia vs. Gonzaga basketball game with both at 0.42. NXT was No. 40. The new Observer has all the quarter details and breakdowns of age group stuff.
Some other notes on the AEW show. They were actually down in over 50 viewership from normal and even down from last week’s difficult night. But it was the youngest viewership night for AEW of the year with teenagers doubling last week, 18-34 up 71 percent, 35-49 up 55 percent, 18-34 women up 144 percent and teenage girls up 200 percent. NXT opened the show at the same level as the week before, but except for the ladder match which did strong gains, they fell much of the way. AEW had big success at a number of points, topping 1 million viewers many times. The top stuff was the end of the Battle Royal, Chris Jericho vs. Frankie Kazarian, The Young Bucks promo angle, a surprisingly good Britt Baker vs. Leyla Hirsch number, the Sting debut did well over 600,000 in 18-49, and the title match, which was consistently at just under 1 million viewers for long periods of time and right at 600,000 in 18-49 except during commercial breaks.
Saturday’s UFC starts at 7 p.m. Eastern on ESPN 2 and ESPN+:
Gian Villante (243) vs. Jake Collier (264.5)
Ilia Torpuria (145) vs. Damon Jackson (145)
Jimmy Flick (125.5) vs. Cody Durden (125.5)
Matt Wiman (155.5) vs. Jrodan Leavitt (155.5)
Louis Smolka (134.5) vs. Jose Quinonez (135)
Nate Landwehr (145.5) vs. Movsar Evloev (145.5)
Roman Dolidze (2-5.5) vs. John Allen (205)
Montana De La Rosa (125.75) vs. Talia Santos (125.5)
Gabriel Benitez (155.5) vs. Justin Jaynes (155)
Ovince Saint Preux (207.5) vs. Jamahal Hill (205.5)
Jack Hermansson (185.5) vs. Marvin Vettori (186)
Saint Preux missed weight by 1.5 pounds.
The Best of the Super Juniors tournament continues Saturday morning in Kagoshima. The final card before the finals on December 11 takes place Sunday morning in Fukuoka.
President Donald Trump will present the Presidential Medal of Freedom award to Dan Gable on Monday. Gable is one of the greatest U.S. wrestlers of all-time, going 117-1 in college and winning a gold medal in the 1972 Olympics, and then he coached 15 teams to the NCAA championships at Iowa between 1976 and1997, including coaching 45 national champions.
WWE
The weekend’s biggest show is the Takeover War Games show on Sunday at 7 p.m. Eastern on the WWE Network.
Curt Stallion vs. Ariya Daivari and The Singh Brothers vs. Ever Rise are scheduled for 205 Live tonight.
The WWE Network put out an offer where you can sign up to stream the TLC show for 99 cents in a Facebook ad (thanks to Kevin Tomich)
For those in Chicago, because of the Chicago Bears post-game coverage on FOX, Tribute to the Troops will air in the market on WPWR Ch. 50 at 3:30 p.m. local time. (thanks to Jacob Burnett)
UFC
Yair Rodriguez has been suspended for six months for failing to disclose where he was three times when testers came to visit him over a one year period over the first three quarters of 2020.
Juliann Marquez vs. Maki Pitolo has been added to a 2/13 show.
Manel Kape, a former Rizin star, scheduled to debut on the 12/19 show is out of his scheduled fight with Alexandre Pantoja.
Anthny Pettis vs. Alex Morono is scheduled for 12/19 according to an ESPN report that both had verbally agreed to the fight. The fight will be at welterweight.
Francisco Figuieredo, the younger brother of flyweight champion Deiveson Figuieredo, debuts against Jerome Rivera on a 1/20 show. Also scheduled for that show is Lerone Murphy vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade.
Sabina Mazo vs Alexis Davis is scheduled for a 2/27 show.
OTHER NOTES
Pro Wrestling NOAH has a PPV show on FITE TV headlined by Go Shiozaki vs Takashi Sugiura for the GHC title and Kenou vs. Kazushi Sakureaba for the National title on FITE TV late Saturday night at 1 a.m. Eastern and 10 p.m. Pacific time.
ROH has added Bandido & Flamita & Rey Horus vs. Shane Taylor & The Soldiers of Savagery for the trios titles to the 12/18 Final Battle PPV show.
John Washington, 33, who wrestled as Owen Travers for Future Stars of Wrestling, was arrested on 11/25 for sexual assault against a child under the age of 16, lewdness with a child under the age of 14 and lewd acts with a child 14 or 15 yeas old. Police are looking to see if there are other victims with information regarding his crimes at 702-385-5555. He has performed in the past on Smackdown, Impact and ROH television. FSW had stopped using him months ago.
A story on the WrestleKind charity being set up in the U.K.. (thanks to Lee Wall)
MLW announced Jacob Fatu & Simon Gotch vs. tag team champions Ross & Marshall Von Erich in a title match for this coming Wednesday’s show.
KSW announced a third title fight for its 12/19 show as Croatia’s Antun Racic (24-8-1) defends the bantamweight title against Bruno Santos (9-1) of Brazil. Already announced were a heavyweight title fight with Phil De Fries (18-6) vs. Michal Kita (20-11-1) and a bout for the vacant lightweight title with Marian Ziolkowski (21-8-1) vs. Roman Szymanski (13-5).
CWE will have a show tonight for free tonight on its Facebook page with donations encouraged featuring a one-night single elimination tournament to crown a new CWE champion with first round matches with Danny Duggan vs. Tommy Lee Curtis, Travis Cole vs, Dragneel, Johnny Devine vs,. Mentallo and E.Z.Ryder vs. Adam Knight, plus tag champions AJ Sanchez & Kevin O’Doyle defend against Dick Blood & Adrian Burton.
We’ve got a heavy-historical double-issue of the Wrestling Observer out this week. Our lead story looks at the career and final appearance of The Undertaker. We look at his famous matches, the WrestleMania streak, how long it’s been since he actually worked a full schedule, the dream match that did happen and why, and the one that never happened and why.
Also in this issue:
Survivor Series with match-by-match coverage, star ratings, poll results and interest level of the show.
The $39 million settlement of a lawsuit against WWE, the largest settlement of a lawsuit in pro wrestling history, why it was settled, testimony key witnesses were going to make, who sued, what the judge in the case said, crazy facts about the case, and testimony on what really happened in Saudi Arabia the day the WWE talent couldn’t get out of the country.
A story on the life of Bob Ryder, the start of TNA, the business numbers behind the start and how it got so deep in debt, what saved the company in 2005 and 2015 and Impact releases a statement on his death.
How Dana White is expecting a packed house for a UFC show sooner than you think and how that ties into what has been booked.
Major front office changes in WWE, and background of the decisions and people who are in and out, Xavier Woods and WWE negotiate a mainstream deal, NXT Takeover lineup notes, Lana documentary, Undertaker talks most famous matches and how Vince talked him into ending the streak, how WWE & AEW TV shows did this past week as compared to major sorts, U.K. Heritage Cup, former college football star has WWE interest, value of WWE stock right now and top ten most-watched shows on the WWE Network from last week.
Full coverage of UFC 255, details behind the show, match-by-match coverage and poll results.
The induction of Marc Ratner into the UFC Hall of Fame. We look at his background in boxing, his connection to pro wrestling, and his role in okaying an angle that literally changed the power structure of pro wrestling where Vince McMahon needed his approval. We look at why two different proposed dream match involving WWE stars didn’t happen as well as how Floyd Mayweather’s unbeaten streak stayed in tact due to a decision by Ratner as well as his role in making UFC treated as a sport, and how UFC was able to get Ratner to join the promotion.
2019 Business Year in review, with the biggest attendances, biggest PPV numbers, who headlined the most major shows, UFC business, WWE business and what Becky Lynch did in 2019 that no woman in the history of pro wrestling had ever come close to.
An updated list of the biggest drawing cards in pro wrestling history, comparing Jim Londos with Hulk Hogan, who Sam Muchnick said were the biggest draws ever, where Hogan ranked with Austin and Rock, and every annual attendance record from 1931 to the present and what record is likely never to be beaten.
NOAH’s Pro Wrestling Chronicle show and the Go Shiozaki ivs. Katsuhiko Nakajima main event.
A feature on the seven different Triple Crown award winners of the last 40 years, as well as those who came one step from doing so.
Stats for MVP, Most Outstanding, Best on interviews, Best Tag Team and others over the past 40 years as well as who seems to deserve more Hall of Fame consideration.
A feature on European villain Klaus Kauroff, who passed away this past week.
Television business, looking at stats not available elsewhere to get the deepest read into how shows are doing, what categories are doing well and how shows compare with previous weeks and one year ago.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
Our weekend Observer radio is up on the site talking about last night’s UFC, Smackdown and several other subjects.
The Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. exhibition was gigantic mainstream-wise. The fight did 12 million Google searches, and there were another 5 million for Nate Robinson and 100,000 for Badou Jack. No card in a long time has hit numbers like this. The numbers were bigger than Conor McGregor UFC fights and even bigger than Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm was. It was multiples of WrestleMania.
Former WWE announcer Mauro Ranallo was doing the Tyson-Jones broadcast last night. Al Bernstein was supposed to be doing the show, but he contracted COVID-19.
The only other combat sport related stuff that made the top 20 this past week was the death of David Prowse, the actor who played the physical character of Darth Vader in Star Wars, at 550,000. And UFC’s show last night, as weak as it was, still charted with 100,000 searches. While not covered in any of the news stories on the death of David Prowse, he was a pro wrestler in the U.K. during the 60s and 70s. Even with his notable size and physique, he was not a major star which is why the connection has rarely been made.
The former girlfriend of Alberto Rodriguez (Alberto El Patron) has retracted her statements regarding his allegedly beating and sexually assaulting her in May. She offered an apology to the Rodriguez family. This pretty likely will end the criminal case against him. There is obviously a lot more to this. Rodriguez was scheduled to go to trial on this case on 1/25. The woman wrote, “I apologize to the Rodriguez Del Rio family for the damages caused by my errors.”
The New Japan tag team tournament continues at 4:30 a.m. Eastern tomorrow from Korakuen Hall:
Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma vs. Yota Tsuji & Yuji Nagata
Jeff Cobb & Great O’Khan vs. Evil & Yujiro Takahashi
Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toa Henare vs Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano
Sanada & Shingo Takagi vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi vs. Juice Robinson & David Finlay
WWE
There is a new book out called “Dwayne The Rock Johnson: The People’s Champion – From WWE to Hollywood” at Amazon and other book outlets.
UFC
Clay Guida vs. Michael Johnson is scheduled for the 2/6 show.
Ronaldo Jacare Souza vs. Kevin Holland has been added to the 12/12 PPV show. Holland was scheduled to headline this coming Saturday against Jack Hermansson, but tested positive for COVID-19 and Holland was moved back one week. Hermansson’s new main event opponent is Marvin Vettorl, who was scheduled to face Souza on 12/12 but agreed to take the fight as the main event for 12/5.
OTHER NOTES
Lots of people raving about today’s Hiromu Takahashi vs. Robbie Eagles match from Korakuen Hall as part of the Super Junior tournament, as well as Taiji Ishimori vs. Bushi.
A documentary called “Sweet Daddy Siki,” after the 60s and 70s star Reginald Siki, is now playing on Amazon Prime. Siki stars in the movie with Bret Hart, who grew up idolizing him, and Adam “Edge” Copeland. Siki later became a country-western singer. He was a major drawing card in his heyday.
CWE is scheduling a tour that will start with a New Year’ Eve show called the Super Jobber Cup in Winnipeg, plus shows 1/2 in Morden, Manitoba, 1/2 in Gladstone, Manitoba, 1/7 in Calgary, 1/8 in Red Deer, Alberta, 1/9 in Grande Prairie, Alberta and 1/10 in St. Albert, Alberta. Of course off of this is subject to change.
Wrestler/reporter Israel Velazquez aka Heavy Boy has a Go Fund Me to cover the costs of surgery to remove one of his kidneys which has a tumor. He also recently had COVID which has left his lungs badly damaged. He is a writer for the SuperLuchas magazine. More info here.
Kevin Nash is starring in a movie called “COVID-19 Invasion” according to IMDB that will be filmed in Longview, TX.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru is out of this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament.
NJPW announced tonight that Kanemaru will be out of action with a knee injury, and thus will miss the tour. As a result, young lion Yuya Uemura will compete in Kanemaru’s place.
Kanemaru last competed at NJPW Road to Power Struggle on November 3, where he teamed with Minoru Suzuki and El Desperado to defeat BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, and Shingo Takagi. NJPW later announced that he would miss a show held in Kochi on November 5. He did not take part in Power Struggle, which took place on November 7.
The tournament is set to start on Sunday and will run through December 11, when the finals will be held at Budokan Hall.
Here is the updated roster for this year’s tournament based on Kanemaru’s injury:
The participants for this year’s Best of the Super Juniors 27 tournament have been announced
This year’s format is a dramatic change from last year’s tournament. Instead of two blocks and twenty entrants, this year there is only one block with ten wrestlers. The top two wrestlers who score the most points will meet each other in the finals.
Most of this year’s participants are NJPW regulars. Robbie Eagles, who has not appeared on a New Japan Pro Wrestling card since the COVID-19 pandemic, will make his return on this tour. Master Wato, who returned from excursion earlier this year, will make his Best of the Super Juniors debut.
The ten participants for this year’s tournament include:
Ryusuke Taguchi
Master Wato
SHO
Robbie Eagles
Hiromu Takahashi
BUSHI
El Desperado
Yoshinobu Kanemaru
DOUKI
Taiji Ishimori
The finals will take place on December 11 at Nippon Budokan.
The tournament, which usually runs in May, will instead run in conjunction with this year’s World Tag League. The original tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
